By Dr. Curtis Varnell
Teachers in the region have waited with eager anticipation for the opening of the U.S. Marshals museum in Fort Smith. In planning for several years, the museum opened to the public for the first time in July and teachers were some of the first visitors.
The Guy Fenter Education Service cooperative made visitation of the museum a part of this summer’s teacher professional development by organizing a special tour and visit just for teachers of the 22 districts comprising the educational cooperative.
On Aug. 24, twenty-six area teachers were able to tour through the site as well as having the opportunity to visit the Fort Smith national park as a part of a day-long educational session. Spending the morning touring the National Park, the teachers visited the old fort site, the trail of tears landing site, the old commissary, and the gallows at Judge Parkers court.
The afternoon was spent getting a special tour of the Marshals Museum, guided by the educational staff at the museum. So many of the exhibits has ties to the Fort Smith region, it was easy to understand why Fort Smith was the choice to locate the national museum. Much of the early history involved the Marshals activity in Arkansas and the Indian territory and bringing law and order to the region. Other exhibits examined the formation of the Marshals organization and their involvement with American history running from the formation of the U.S., through the prohibition, and up to modern times.
Teachers were allowed an examination of the museum behind the scenes when they visited the curator and storage area of the museum. Hundreds of items not currently displayed were available for teacher’s examination. Many of the items will be used in future exhibits and others are a part of collections that will preserve the materials for future generations.
A part of the museum features and interactive educational room which will be used by students and groups while they are visiting the museum. The educational staff is developing lessons and activities that are geared to student learning standards and will perform the important task of making history come alive for area students.
Student field trips are already conducted at the National Park by many area schools and the new U.S. Marshal’s museum will become a valuable addition in teaching students about our past.
